Juncker: ‘We were so close’

EU negotiators were “so close” to a deal with Greece that the two sides were haggling over just €60 million when Greek officials suddenly walked away, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told political allies Wednesday.

Speaking to members of the center-right European People’s Party group in a closed-door meeting at the European Parliament, Juncker kept up the harsh criticism of Greek leaders he has voiced in recent days, according to multiple sources who attended.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis refused to make a deal, according to Juncker, who claimed that Varoufakis pulled his negotiators out of the room when they were too close to an agreement.

“[Juncker] said we were ready to front-load EU funds at the disposal of Greece for the future and the Greek government didn’t take the offer, which convinced them that [the Greeks] weren’t interested in an agreement and it was ideological,” an MEP who was in the room told POLITICO after the meeting.

“He said, ‘We were so close, in fact, we were so close that it was just €60 million that we were arguing over.”

Three sources in the room described the €60 million figure but said Juncker did not go into detail about it.

Another EU source said Juncker was referring to suggestions by Greek negotiators that they would be willing to make cuts in defense spending and also to exclude some islands from a discounted VAT rate. But, the source added, after Tsipras’ speech Wednesday afternoon and the decision by Eurogroup ministers to hold off further talks until after the referendum, these proposals were never formally submitted.

The mood was tense while Juncker vented his frustrations about working with Tsipras and Varoufakis, who he claimed were constantly changing the terms of the negotiation and were unwilling to make a deal no matter how much EU negotiators bent.

The Commission president told reporters after the meeting only that the Greeks lacked “the will to close” a deal. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas would not comment on the meeting but noted that Juncker has said “We were indeed very close to a deal.”

“[Juncker] was blaming Tspiras for what happened,” said a Parliament source who attended the Wednesday meeting. “He said if we don’t have an agreement it’s clearly for ideological reasons because the differences weren’t big.”

According to the source, Juncker also said a No vote in Sunday’s referendum “means Greece leaves the euro.”

The sources said that Juncker also questioned the capacity of the Greek administration to organize an EU referendum in just a few days — adding that he has a plan for Monday depending on how the Greeks vote, but did not elaborate.

After the meeting, EPP Group Chairman Manfred Weber told members that he believed “Tsipras and the Greek government didn’t even want to find a solution for ideological reasons,” according to EPP spokesperson Christian Huegel.

This article was updated to include a comment made Thursday by the European Commission spokesman.

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JR

No way either side would not compromise if the difference was only 60 million.
With an unsustainable debt of some 300 billion no way that the discussion would ever focus on a mere 60 million.

Juncker seems back at this game shifting the blame.

Posted on 7/1/15 | 10:44 PM CEST

Paulo Fonte

For Juncker was maybe a solution. Or even a victory, as the Greeks seemed to be bent over, with heads touching their knees. And in 6 months, as the endless stream of loans from the EU to pay the debts to the EU run out, more pressure could be applied.

Posted on 7/2/15 | 2:16 AM CEST

tec-goblin

But Varoufakis himself said that the only diffference now is ‘only’ about the debt restructuring. The same as JR says: Juncker wants to shift the blame, hiding the fact that the creditors refuse to even start the negotiation on the most important subject: debt restructuring.

Posted on 7/2/15 | 11:04 AM CEST

Eric Michael

In my opinion, the issue is not only a financial one but attitudes.
The current greek government feels obviously only obliged to serve greek, national, interests. The real foundation of the EU, Euro and subsidies (those “loans” will never be fully repaid by greece so let us call the payments what they really are – subsidies) are not treaties and written law. But a common understanding of a european family, of transforming europe into one big state of a new kind and overcome old nation-states and thinking in old nationalities.

The self-declared socialists of greece act very nationalistic in contrast; e.g. “them germans Vs. us greeks” instead if, what I, being a leftist myself, would expect fron real socialists – paneuropean solidarity “we, the 99%, against them banks and neocons”. This is something many citizens across Europe would have sympathized with.

Instead they demand further (!) payments, not ashamed of the fact, that Eurozone members with even lower incomes as in greecr, e. g. Portugal and Estonia, have to suffer from this burden, not ashamed of condeming minor pension reforms while the average pension in closeby Romania (EU member too!) is just about 200 € monthly.

All this can only come across as ungrateful and greedy. Not only in gernany, but all across Europe.

Posted on 7/2/15 | 2:32 PM CEST

ironwoker

“We were so close”
We who ? We the bankers. behind EPP.

Posted on 7/2/15 | 3:09 PM CEST

Pieere Scize

So close to what? Capitulation by the Greeks? Jean-Claude “tax haven” Juncker is just throwing a hissy fit now that he realizes that history will rightly blame him for being one of the dumbasses that has led us to this impasse. A man not worthy of a minute of our attention.

Mr Tsipras is mad a polician to call referendum for the European Union had held Something tells me that there will be agreement to eliminate this mess of Greece

Posted on 7/2/15 | 5:01 PM CEST

John Doe

We are right to call these loans subsidies from Europe to Greece. Europe wants to reduce its subsidies to Greece and Greece wants them increased. If Europe wants the Euro it needs to subsidize members with small economies. The question is how luxuriously should these subsidized countries live.